Our First Thanksgiving in Paris

Thanksgiving 2015

1 Parisian apartment + 4 families + 8 adults + 9 children + 1 very loud sing-along + lots of food and wine = a great way to celebrate our first Thanksgiving in Paris.

Our first Thanksgiving in Paris was shared with new friends we met through Peanut and Rocky's school.  These Americans, who have lived in Paris for 3 months to over 10 years, shared this holiday of family and friendship with us.  We even had a special visitor all the way from Miami, Uncle Adam.

Jared, Peanut, Rocky, and I have so much to be grateful for.  We are healthy, safe, living a dream life filled with loving family members and friends who genuinely care for us and us for them.  I get emotional as I think back to the events in Paris on November 13th and the number of phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, emails, and more from family, friends (new and old), and business colleagues reaching out to make sure we are safe.  Even those who I haven't talked to or seen in a long time reached out.  I love this experience of living abroad, but at times, it can feel as though we're alone here without our support network.  The unfortunate events a couple of weeks ago assured me that we are not alone and have so many generous, caring, and loving people in our lives who are near and far away.  To me, all the money in the world cannot replace these relationships.  I hope you were able to spend this holiday sharing laughs, good food, and creating new memories.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Learning to Cook A Traditional French Autumn Meal

I had my second cooking class with chef Marie-Françoise.  This time, we're making a traditional French autumn meal of:  

Watercress Velouté (Watercress and sweet potato soup with veal stock and cream)

Blanquette de Veau à l'ancienne (Old Fashioned Veal Blanquette)

Tarte Bourdaloue (Almond cream tarte with pears)

The class started with a trip to the farmers' market to buy fresh pears, watercress, carrots, sweet potatoes, herbs, leeks, and more.  According to the chef, "the good butcher" doesn't come to the market on Thursdays, only Saturdays, so we headed a nearby, reputable boucherie to buy the veal.  (Meat from reputable butchers are not filled with water.) 

Fresh watercress (top photo, above the egg plant); Colorful carrots (bottom photo)

Butcher preparing our veal (shoulder, shank, breast, and bone)

Ingredients for the Veal Blanchette

As soon as we got to the kitchen, we started the veal.  It must boil for at least 2 hours for the perfect tenderness.

Onion with clove; Tying the bouquet garni; Veal ready for the stove.

Our next step was poaching the pears in a bath of sugar, vanilla bean, and a touch of lemon juice.  The fragrance of the vanilla bean filled the kitchen.

While the pears were simmering, we worked on the sweet dough, which has to be baked for 15 minutes before we can pour the almond cream into it.  Like any pie crust, we used very cold butter and didn't over mix or handle the dough.  The almond powder, consisting of just finely crushed almonds, made this dough nutty and crumbly.

A delicate touch for the sweet dough.

Our baked crust cooling outside on the window pane.  Yes, they really do this here.

Putting the final touches on the tart before it goes back in the oven.

Time to pour in the almond cream and gently place the pears.

Back to the veal, which has produced an aromatic and sweet broth that we now use to boil the mushrooms, carrots, and onions.

Simmered for 2 hours.

I finally learned how to make a roux, the right way.  To it, we added veal broth, then a mixture of creme fraiche, old style whole grain mustard from ... you guessed it, the Dijon region, and an egg yolk.  The final touch was fresh parsley.

It's almost time to eat.  That means, let's finish preparing our first course, watercress velouté.  The sweet potato calms the bite of the watercress and with a touch of cream fraiche, we blend them together.  Just before eating, we topped the soup with fresh grated ginger.  Delicious.  Bon Appétit.

Our second course, old fashioned veal blanchette with a crisp white wine.

And the best part of the entire meal, the pear almond tart.  Still warm from the oven.

Tex-Mex Fix

Hello, lover.

I've been jonesing for Tex-Mex, so I was delighted to find out there were two Chipotles in the city!  I know, it's kind of silly to crave chain restaurant food while being surrounded by haute cuisine, but I grew up in San Antonio.  I may look Vietnamese, but my taste buds are Mexican.  What's even sillier is neither of the stores are near us, so we actually had to make an effort to go.  This was my Halloween treat.

Thumbs up.

They offered the same ingredients as back home (sans e-Coli), but with a couple of differences.  1) They refuse to make quesadillas.  Even though they had the same ingredients and equipment, it was simply pas possible.  2) They measure.  The servers didn't break out measuring cups, but they were very careful to dish out just the exact amount of black beans.  One thing at Chipotle was noticeably similar:  Everyone in line spoke English with American accents.

Introducing Fun Fridays

Back in Austin, Jared and I came up with the idea of taking one day each week to go out and explore the city while the kids were in school.  We intended to start this when he stopped working 2 years ago, but it took us this long to actually execute.  What a better place to start than in Paris?  We had our first "Fun Friday" this week.  After we dropped off the kids at school, we ventured on foot from the 15th arrondissement, where we live, to the 5th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements.

I love the big, heavy metal doors in Paris.  From street level, these big doors look like a big wall to a building.  But if you're lucky enough to walk by one that's open, sneaking a peek at what's behind them is even more fascinating.  Behind this green door hides a big church and courtyard.

In the 7th arrondissment is La Grande Epicerie.  You can read more about it here.  This foodie's dream store carries a little bit of everything from every country around the world.  Jared and I wanted to see what Americans were known for.  May I present, the USA section of La Grande Epicerie, including Wish Bone French Dressing.
 

In search of a peanut butter that's a little healthier than Peter Pan and Jif, we came across this at La Grande Epicerie.  I think this Michigan company's marketing department should seriously reconsider the brand name.

This building is under major construction, but from the outside, you don't really notice it because of the temporary facade.  They're usually on buildings in the nicer arrondissements and almost always with an Apple ad.

Garden Party in France

Rocky and I were invited by her classmate's mother to our first garden party in the French countryside.  I thought a garden party was similar to a Texas BBQ, but wanting to be sure I dressed appropriately, Googled it, and the first image that popped up was of Queen Elizabeth of England, followed by Kate Middleton, both dressed in these beautiful pastel summer dresses and hats.  This was no garden variety party.  Although this day, unsure of the weather, party goers dressed more casually for rain.

The party was held at her friend's chauteau in a village about 45 minutes by train outside of Paris named La Ferté-sous-Jouarre.  (They sold the castle, which now houses a hospital.)  "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

After a week in hiding behind rain clouds, the sun came out so everyone could enjoy the day.  Here are photos from our memorable Saturday.

Rocky and her friend taking time to smell the roses after a lovely brunch

Lavender, apples, and sticking our feet in the pool

Let's roll around in the grass and breathe in some fresh country air.  Largest wheel of brie I've ever seen, raspberry tart, and tarte tatin.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs

Ojo Caliente Apres Ski

Spa Day

A winding 90 minutes drive from Angel Fire is an enchanting mineral springs resort in the middle of nowhere New Mexico called Ojo Caliente.  After 2 days of skiing, I was ready for a relaxing day at the spa and was delighted when my friend and I arrived at this upscale, yet earthy resort nestled amongst the foot of the mountains.  Before and after our treatments, we dipped in eight geothermal mineral pools that have flowed from a subterranean volcanic aquifer for thousands of years.  Ojo is the only hot springs in the world with four different types of mineral water including lithia, iron, soda and arsenic.  The warm water was so inviting after walking around in the cool New Mexican air.  With softened skin, relaxed muscles, and a restored sense of inner balance, we handed in our robes and headed back to reality a little more at peace.

Vung Tau Eating: Street Food

In 1996, my grandmother and I returned to Vietnam for the first time since we fled the country in May of 1975.  It was the summer after my junior year of college.  I was twenty-one and so excited to meet my Vietnamese cousins for the first time.  My youngest cousin of six, Kiet, was a year older than me and my partner in crime.  He and his friends took me everywhere on the back of their scooters.  Kiet even tried teaching me to drive his scooter - once.  He was a little gun shy after I drove us into a ditch.  His mom/my aunt is a "Mother Bear", what they call Tiger Moms in Vietnam, and would've killed him if he were to get his younger cousin who is also a "Việt Kiều" (Vietnamese living overseas, yes, they have a name for my type) hurt.

Kiet took me to all of his favorite street food stands and I ate everything!  I drank the "filtered" tap water, yes, with ice please, and ate some of funky things.  The strangest being goat breasts, grilled table side.

Fast forward 18 years to 2014, I'm married with two kids and know way too much about refrigeration, good and bad gut bacteria, food borne illnesses, contaminated water, and all sorts of things that can make a vacation in a developing country miserable.  As much as I've wanted to indulge myself in all that smelly fish sauce goodness, I've avoided the street side stands for the most part, but had to make couple of exceptions.

The first being:  bắp xào (sauteed corn).

I love corn.  This box of carbs from Vietnam is made street side and fully operational from the back of a scooter (see middle photo below).  Fresh corn in Vietnam feels nothing like the Monsanto stuff we get in America.  It's chewy to the point where your jaw gets tired after 10 minutes of chewing, which makes me think that my stomach has to work extra hard to break down the food, burning more calories, allowing me to feel less guilty about eating a box full of carbs.  One can dream.  The street side corn is sauteed with a little butter, salt, pepper, sugar, green onions, hot pepper, and dried shrimp.  It's scooped piping hot into your Styrofoam container and eaten with a ridiculously small plastic spoon.

Bắp xào (sauteed corn)

Below are more photos of food and us eating.  Highlights from my collage:

1.  Tiny bananas.  They have these in the U.S., but I rarely buy them.  In Vietnam, this is what you get if you want a banana, so Jared buys them.  I call them amuse-bouche bananas.  Jared has to eat two or three to feel satisfied.

2.  Vietnamese iced coffee with milk (Cà Phê Sữa Đá).  It's highly caffeinated and sweet.  Order it "to go", they'll even slip the cup in a plastic carrier so you can hook it onto your scooter.  Since I don't have a scooter, I just like to carry my coffee around like a purse.

3.  Chocolate mousse.  The-best-chocolate-mousse-ever is found in Vung Tau, Vietnam.  Jared will concur.

4.  That's not ketchup.  I didn't know that Heinz made Sriracha.  This knock-off doesn't even compare to Huy Fong's Sriracha.

I didn't forget about the second exception I made about street food.  Today, we walked by this lady grilling some kind of rice cake (bottom left image).  I'm a sucker for sticky rice and food grilled right in front of me, so I gave in.  The flat, round patties are sticky rice, coconut, and potato and the oblong patties are bananas wrapped in coconut sticky rice.  Hot off the grill and into my belly these glutinous patties went.  The banana rice cakes were so good.

Vung Tau Eating: Mini Rice Pancakes / Bánh Khọt

Banh Khot at Quan Co Ba in Vung Tau

Vung Tau is the locals' beach and a favorite for the South Vietnamese.  There are much prettier beaches in Vietnam with white sand and clear, blue water, but located a just little over 2 hours away from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vung Tau is a quick and popular weekend escape from the big city.

In addition to the beach, visitors and locals alike enjoy a savory mini rice pancake called Bánh Khọt.  Rumored to have its origins in Vung Tau, rice flour plus coconut milk are quickly fried in shallow circular molds.  The pans I'm used to seeing can make about seven at a time.  In order to meet demand, this restaurant's pans have been super-sized and can make forty-eight at once if need be.  These hot and crispy pancakes are then topped with green onions and shrimp, ground pork or mushrooms and served with sweetened fish sauce.

How to eat them like the Vietnamese:  grab yourself a lettuce or mustard leaf, layer it with pickled carrots and herbs (basil, mint), wrap it around a pancake, and dip it into some spicy, sweetened fish sauce.

These bánh khọt are so light and delicious, I had to force myself to stop at two plates.

First Day in Paris

After a long day of traveling, the four of us enjoyed a good night's sleep and not getting out of bed until 11 AM.

View from our Paris apartment balcony

What better way to say bonjour to Paris than a walk to the Eiffel Tower.  We met up with Nana Ruthie Pooh and saw some street art along the way.

Instead of pinching ourselves to make sure we weren't dreaming that we were in Paris, we took bites of our first croissants from that little bakery near the apartment we stayed at last year.

Ooh la la, look what's behind us.  The Eiffel Tower!

This is my third time in Paris, but first time going up the Eiffel Tower.  Seeing the city from the summit is quite impressive.  Paris is laid out very orderly with lots of green space sprinkled throughout many white buildings. 

Champ de Mars; Kim in front of the Seine and buildings; Seine and Statue of Liberty

We ended our long day with dinner at 9:30 PM at Chez Ramy, J's favorite Lebanese restaurant in the 15th arrondissement.  The food is very good, but the baklava and halva are what draw us back.

10 Things You Must Do in Barcelona

Spending Christmas 2013 and ringing in the New Year in Barcelona was an unforgettable experience.  After almost 3 weeks, we learned a lot about the people, city, and languages, but I know there's so much more.  Thank you Barcelona for allowing us to immerse ourselves in your beautiful city.

Here are our top 10 favorite things to do in Barcelona during the winter.

1.  Take a break from the city atop Montjuic Castle and on the way down, ride the giant slide.
2.  Ride the steam engine at Park of Castell de l'Oreneta and meet the nicest volunteers who maintain and run the train station.
3.  Be a kid again at Tibidabo Amusement Park.
4.  Walk along Passeig de Gracia and look at every curve of Gaudi's houses.
5.  Admire the complexities of La Sagrada Familia.
6.  Go on the high speed train to Girona and walk through the medieval sites.
7.  Explore at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum and see the Amazon rain forest close up.
8.  Go back 2,000 years in the ruins at Museu d'Història de la Ciutat and El Born Centre Cultural.
9.  Get showered with candy and confetti at the Three Kings' Parade.
10.  Try standing your churro up in the chocolate caliente and don't pass up a chance to get hopped up on cafe con leche.

Win(d)ing and Dining in the Barri Gòtic

Happy New Year!

All of the museums and amusement parks were closed today due to the holiday, which means it was the perfect day for a self-guided tour of the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter).  We followed this decent guide through the narrow, winding streets of the Jewish area called El Call (pronounced: kye) and Roman ruins of the Barri Gòtic.

Barcelona Cathedral

"Barcino"

Aqueduct and Gate of Roman Wall

A mini street performer playing castanets and singing "I have a little dreidel"

Randomly, we picked this restaurant in the Barri Gotic.  The white table cloth restaurant's menu was entirely in Catalan, so we did our best deciphering what we'd eat.  (In other words, we closed our eyes and pointed.)  Out came some of the tastiest food I've eaten in Barcelona yet.

Turbot with crisp garlic, mushrooms, grilled tomato, and scalloped potatoes

Tomato Bread

Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts

Squid with Garlic and Oil

I highly recommend the squid with garlic and oil.  It was perfectly cooked and seasoned.  Succulent and tender.

Sweet Treat: Xocolata amb Xurros

Churros and hot chocolate - yes and yes.  A friend from Barcelona put this on her list of things we must do while here, so, who am I to argue?  Many cafes in Barcelona offer this delectable pairing and we finally got to try it out today.

These Spanish churros remind me of a savory Vietnamese donut we eat with congee called dầu cháo quẩy, which is the same as the Chinese youtiao.  The only difference is the Spanish sprinkle sugar on these freshly fried donuts and pair it with a thick, pudding-like hot chocolate drink.  The xocolata (Catalan) or chocolate caliente (Spanish) is so thick that you can almost stand the churro straight up in it.  The chocolate is nice, not terribly sweet, and when paired with the slightly salty tasting churro, the flavors balance each other well.

The two, smaller taste testers in my family were very excited help me with my research.  It was a nice, late afternoon pick-me-up. 

This is one satisfied customer!

Here's a simple recipe for this thick hot chocolate.

Mr. Schrute Was So Sweet

Cake Boss edible work of art

French Creme Fraiche Vinaigrette

Every salad in France is dressed with this light, tangy, and slightly creamy dressing.  I've been obsessed with figuring out how to make it ever since I got back.  After testing about half a dozen recipes, I found one that is pretty close to the real deal.  

Here it is with my modifications:

Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons creme fraiche [I use 1.5 tablespoons]
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar [red wine vinegar also works]
1 tablespoon minced shallot [use 1/2 tablespoon very finely minced or you can even eliminate]
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard [I like Maille original dijon]
salt and pepper to taste
Stir all ingredients together. [I put everything in an empty Bonne Maman jar and shake vigorously]  
Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
Makes 4-6 servings.

Paris Food II

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Chez Paul

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A trip to Paris would not be complete without a meal of rabbit and Chez Paul, near the Bastille, is the place. I wasn't too excited about rabbit, but J was, and said it was quite good thanks to the mint and chèvre sauce. Dessert was what made this place blog worthy.  Chez Paul's tarte tatin was very sweet and buttery, perfectly complimented by a pot of luxurious crème fraiche (top right).  We also shared the ile flottante (floating island on the bottom right), which I've never had before.  It's an "island" of meringue floating in a sea of crème anglaise.

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Jeff de Bruges

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I never knew chocolate could be so beautiful.  Chocolate at the fine shops, like Jeff de Bruges, is silky as it melts in your mouth.  The kids were very excited as they devoured several pieces made with nuts, spices, fruit, and even flower petals.

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Au Bourguignon du Marais

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Not only is the food delicious at Au Bourguignon du Marais, the service is good too.  We went here on one of our date nights and sat under the awning enjoying the cold, rainy weather.  Go here for the traditional boeuf bourguignon, tender Chateau-Filet Aubrac and sauce au poivre, and profiteroles served with Berthillon ice cream.

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Au Pays du Sourire 

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Now we move to the China with Au Pays du Sourire to salivate over the best dumplings I've ever eaten.  I am a sucker for a good dumpling.  My aunt's husband, a French man with a doctorate in Mandarin who has lived in Taiwan for years and now resides in Paris, says they have the best jiaozi in town.  Only available on Thursday and Sunday, the hand kneaded dough is filled with perfectly seasoned pork and served with this mind blowing sauce made with soy sauce, finely minced ginger and garlic, Chinese black vinegar, chili, sesame oil, sugar, and scallions. I have to also make a shout out to the Ma Po Tofu, which is out of this world.